Typical electrowinning operations are constructed having several electrolytic cells. Each electrolytic cell contains several anodes and cathodes suspended in an aqueous electrolyte solution. During electrowinning, a metal from the electrolyte, such as copper, nickel or cobalt, is deposited on the cathode as a metal. After electrowinning for a period of time, the cathodes are removed by an overhead crane from the electrolytic cell to remove the electrodeposited metal. Overhead cranes as in a typical setup transport several cathodes or blanks at the same time. The metal is then separated from the blanks and the clean blanks are returned to the cell with the overhead crane. If a strip or sheet-type cathode is being used, the strip sheet and deposited metal are removed by an overhead crane and additional strip sheets are placed into the electrolytic cell. During these operations, the crane operator will occasionally misjudge the location of the cathodes and crash into the anodes. This overhead crane contact bends and twists anode lugs or crossbars. The bending and twisting of anode crossbars has a tendency to cause the suspension of the anodes to be tilted from vertical.
Anode crossbars are also commonly bent and twisted when nodules of metal grow from the cathodes and attach to heavy adjacent anodes, such as lead anodes. When the operator lifts the cathodes from the cell, the anodes attached by the nodules are also lifted. When this occurs, the operator stops lifting and holds the cathodes and anodes above the cell to separate the anodes from the cathodes. The anodes are pounded or pried from the cathode and the heavy anodes are permitted to fall back into cell. The anode crossbars strike against the cell wall, bending and twisting the crossbars, causing the suspension of the anodes to become unaligned or off vertical in the cell.
When the anode suspends at a great enough angle from vertical alignment, the anode contacts an adjacent cathode short-circuiting the electrowinning process. Conventional tools such as pliers and wrenches are extremely difficult to use for straightening lugs while the anode is suspended in the electrolyte. To straighten the anode crossbar, the anode is removed from the cell, where the crossbar is then straightened. The heavy anode must then be returned to the cell where the alignment is checked. If the anode continues to tilt in the cell, the anode must be removed and further adjusted. This process is repeated until the anode has satisfactory alignment in the cell. Removing the heavy anodes from the cells to repair the anodes is burdensome; additionally, the electrowinning process is interrupted on the two cathode sides adjacent the anode while the cathode is removed from the cell.